Ghosts of Allerdale Hall
by Paige Elise Hale
Summary: Allerdale Hall is known for being haunted. This attracts the attention of Darcy Atkins. CONTAINS SPOILERS
1. Chapter 1

Ghosts of Allerdale Hall

 **I do not own Crimson Peak in any way.**

* * *

" _Ghosts are real, this much I know". – Edith Cushing_

* * *

Darcy Atkins had seen ghosts ever since she was a small child. She came from an extremely religious family, so she believed in spirits, angels, and demons. She used to go to abandoned houses just to see if she could see a ghost.

Most of them were troubled and wanted to move on, but couldn't.

When Darcy was 14, she taught herself how to release ghosts. She had been all around England, except one place.

Crimson Peak.

* * *

The drive to the mansion was uneventful.

Darcy listened to interviews Edith Cushing had given following her experience at Allerdale Hall.

Lucille sounded like a complete psycho bitch and Thomas sounded like Mr. Darcy and Mr. Rochester smashed into one person.

Darcy thought that their love story was tragic, considering Thomas loved Edith more than his own sister (not even going to go into his relationship with her).

Thomas and Edith sounded like they were meant to be together, but their love affair was cut short.

After leaving Allerdale Hall, Edith married Alan McMichael and had three lovely children.

Darcy pulled up to what used to be the old post office and got out. "Excuse me", she said to one of the workers, "Could you tell me how much further Allerdale Hall is?"

A quiet descended on the workers.

"You don't want to go there, love. Trust me. Everyone who's gone into that house, hasn't come back out", the woman working the front desk said.

"Thank you", Darcy said. She got back in the car and kept driving until she saw the dilapidated house in the distance. She pulled through the rusted gate and up to the front of the house.

A clay mining machine sat in the front yard.

Darcy got out of the car and immediately felt a disturbance.

This house was filled with anger and sorrow.

She grabbed her stuff out of the car and entered the house.

There was no ceiling in the foyer area and most of the steps looked rotted through.

Darcy thought she heard piano music, but ignored it and went in search of a room to stay in. She found one with a bed that didn't look like it was falling apart and started unpacking. As she was unpacking her video camera, Darcy heard some floorboards creak. She turned around and said, "Hello?" Of course she received no answer. She shrugged it off.

Most old houses moaned and groaned.

60% of the time it wasn't caused by a ghost.

Once Darcy finished unpacking, she settled down in the bed for the night.

* * *

Thomas entered the bedroom that used to be Edith's. He knew that she was long dead by now and would never return to the house, but it made him feel closer to her. He was shocked to find someone actually sleeping in the bed. He walked closer to the figure.

It was a young woman, around Edith's age when he met her.

He reached out and caressed her cheek with his fingertips.

* * *

There was something cold on Darcy's cheek.

She shot up and bed and looked around the room. She was alone. She placed her hand on her cheek feeling where the icy sensation had touched her.

Was it a ghost? Was it her imagination?

Darcy decided that tomorrow, she would search the house for clues. She lay back down in bed and closed her eyes, hoping sleep would come quickly.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 **I do not own Crimson Peak in any way.**

 **A/N - It seems like no matter where I post this, it gets good reviews. I'm glad you guys like it so much!**

* * *

The morning, Darcy got up and got dressed. She couldn't help but like there were eyes watching her, but she usually experienced things like that in old houses. She ventured out of the room and onto the stairs. She carefully walked up the rotting staircase, making her way up to the attic. She came to a long corridor and opened one of her books.

" _The hallway was cloaked in shadow. Spikes lined the archways, almost like claws."- Edith Cushing_

In broad daylight, the corridor still gave her the creeps.

She walked along the hallway, pulling on the door knobs as she went.

A door opened and it appeared to be an invention room.

On one of the tables sat a toy that reminded her of the wind up monkey from Phantom of the Opera.

She turned the little knob and frowned when it didn't work. She attributed it to time and moved on.

* * *

Thomas watched from the shadows as she fiddled around with things in his workroom.

Who was she? Why was she here? Did she realize the danger she was in?

She moved onto another part of the workroom.

He saw his chance and approached the table. He picked up a small screwdriver and tinkered around on the small contraption. He turned the knob and smiled when it started working. He disappeared as the girl came around the corner.

* * *

Darcy was puzzled.

That thing hadn't been working a second ago.

She glanced around the room. "Did you do this?" she asked the open air.

Once again she was met with silence.

"You can come out. There's no need to be afraid", she told whoever.

After a few minutes, she gave up and left the workroom. She made her way into the enormous library. She explored the library until she came upon a table sitting by a large window.

It had several pictures sitting on it.

She blew the dust of them and inspected them.

Several of them were of women, sitting with the same man.

She flipped the pictures over hoping to gain insight into who were in them. She gathered up the pictures and took them back to her room, unaware of the eyes watching her from the shadows. When she returned to her room, there was a tea tray sitting there.

That hadn't been there when she left.

She set the pictures down on the bed and approached the tea tray. She felt the teacups.

They were hot, like someone had just made it.

"Hello?" she called, "Did someone make this tea?" Darcy briefly wondered if the ghosts who resided here were friendly, but she didn't know what was in tea. She ignored it and settled down in bed for a night of research.

* * *

When Thomas entered the girl's bedroom a few hours later, she was asleep amidst papers and a strange contraption with letters.

It looked almost like a typewriter.

He closed the odd contraption and set it on the bedside table. He cleaned up the papers and sighed when he noticed they were about his family.

Lucille was not going to be happy about this.

Thomas pulled off the girl's shoes and covered her up with a blanket from the closet. He stopped when he noticed the tea tray sitting at the foot of the bed. He glared at it as he picked it up and carried it from the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 **I do not own Crimson Peak in any way.**

* * *

Thomas carried the tea tray into the living room where Lucille was once again playing the piano. He threw the tea tray at the wall, the delicate glass of the teacups shattering spilling tea everywhere.

Lucille stopped playing, staring at her brother.

"Lucille, stop it!" he hissed.

"That was mother's china", she said.

"Leave the girl alone. You're not to touch her", Thomas told her.

"Don't tell me you fancy this one, too", she said.

"She's different", he told her.

"You said the same about your last bitch", Lucille said, "Did you forget that she's the reason we're dead?"

" _You're_ dead because of Edith. I'm dead because of you and now I'm trapped in this god forsaken mansion! Tell me, _dear sister_ , what will happen when this house finally rots to the ground?" he spat, "Please just stop Lucille. This house has already seen enough death and sadness. Those other girls didn't deserve what happened to them".

"Maybe if you had never fallen in love with Edith, we wouldn't be here", Lucille told him. She turned away from him and started to play the piano again.

Thomas, fed up with her passive behavior, picked up a knife. He walked up behind Lucille and jammed the knife into her neck.

Lucille gasped; shocked that Thomas would do that. She pulled the knife out and said, "Surely you knew that wouldn't kill me".

"Yes, but I was hoping it'd make it feel better", he spat.

"What happened to always together, never apart?" she asked him.

"That was before you tried to kill the love of my lift", he told her.

Lucille threw the knife to the ground as Thomas left the living room and retreated to Darcy's bedroom.

* * *

Darcy woke up the next morning and noticed that something or someone had covered her up with a blanket. Her laptop was sitting on the bedside table with her papers on top.

The tea tray was gone from the foot of the bed.

She sat up and threw the blanket off of her. She decided to explore the clay mines today. She grabbed a flashlight and her book and made her way to the landing where the elevator sat. She didn't trust the old rusty elevator, but it was the only way to get down there. She stepped inside and an invisible hand shut the door for her and started to up. "Thank you", she said to the open air. She waited for the day when she would get a reply.

The elevator stopped and she stepped out.

Even in the heat of the English summer, the mines were freezing.

She opened her book and read.

 _"Towards the back of the mines, I saw Alan leaning up against one of the vats. He was bleeding from the stomach, but thankfully he was alive". – Edith Cushing_

Darcy made her way to the very back vat.

On the floor was a small black patch.

She guessed this is where Edith had found Alan and had her final showdown with Lucille.

The clay in the vats had frozen solid due to the cold and time.

She knew there had to be skeletons buried in it, just waiting to be unearthed and properly buried. "You shouldn't be down here", she heard a voice whisper.

It sounded like a female.

Taking the voice's warning, she left the mines.

That night when she settled down to the sleep, she looked around the room and said, "Goodnight, whoever you are".

Just before drifting off, Darcy swore she heard a male voice say, "Goodnight Darcy".

* * *

As Thomas sat there and watched Darcy sleep, Lucille appeared in the doorway, but didn't enter the bedroom.

"You can't watch over her forever", Lucille told him, "You can play the hero all you want, Thomas. But we both know you're a killer. What do you think she'll do once she finds out?"

Thomas simply ignored her, but was pretty sure Darcy already knew.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 **I do not own Crimson Peak in any way.**

 **A/N - The final two chapters will be posted tomorrow.**

* * *

Darcy woke up to the delicious smell of eggs and toast. She opened her eyes and saw the tea tray sitting there.

A small piece of paper sat on the tray with a note written on it.

She reached over and grabbed the note.

 _I took the liberty of making you breakfast. Don't worry. The tea isn't poisoned._

It wasn't signed, but the person had elegant handwriting.

It seemed her personal Casper had saved her once again.

She now had her sneaking suspicions who it was.

After eating the breakfast, she got out of bed. As she dressed, she could feel eyes watching her. "I really wish you wouldn't watch me from the shadows. No offense, but it's creepy", she said. She tried and failed to zip her dress. "Wanna help a girl out?" she asked. She felt the zipper move up her back. She gasped when she felt ice cold hands touch her back. She quickly spun around, but no one was there. "Thanks", she breathed. She could once again hear piano music coming from the living room. Darcy grabbed her package of salt and made her way down to the foyer.

Just as she reached the entrance, someone grabbed her and slammed her up against the wall outside.

In front of her stood a man with jet black hair and blue eyes.

His Victorian clothes were covered in blood and there was a cut on his cheek.

Darcy was shocked into silence. She opened her mouth to say something, but he covered her mouth with an ice cold hand and made a listening motion with his hand. She nodded and he let her go.

He started to make his way up to the attic and Darcy followed.

They entered the work room and Darcy couldn't hold in back any longer.

"You're Thomas Sharpe aren't you?" she asked him.

"Yes, I am", he said in a baritone, "You are never to go into there again".

"Because of your sister, right?" Darcy asked him.

"What do you know about my family?" he asked.

"There's not much on the internet", she said.

He titled his head to side in confusion. "It's the…never mind. Basically all I know is what Edith wrote about you in her book", Darcy told him.

A look of longing crossed his face at Edith's name.

"Edith…wrote a book about what happened?" Thomas asked.

"About everything", she said, "I'm sorry".

"Lucille will not be happy to hear this", Thomas said, "But what did Edith do…after?"

"Do you really want to know?" she asked him.

"Yes", he said, starting to wonder if he regretted asking.

"She married Alan McMichael and they had three children", she told him.

"I'm glad she found happiness after what happened here", Thomas said.

"I don't think she ever got over your death. She talked very fondly of you", she informed him, "I think she truly loved you".

"And I loved her", Thomas told her, "Promise me you'll never go back into that room. If you do, I cannot tell you what Lucille may do to you".

"She's the reason those girls never left this house, isn't she?" Darcy asked.

"Don't ask questions you already know the answer to", Thomas said.

"I think I heard one of them in the mines the other day", Darcy told him.

"This house keeps things alive when they shouldn't be", Thomas said.

"That's why I'm here, I want to release all the ghosts here, so you…they can finally have some peace in death", Darcy told him, "You could be with Edith again…"

Thomas said nothing.

"God will always accept those who seek forgiveness", Darcy told him, "You could be happy again".

"Don't go into the living room again", Thomas said as he brushed past her.

When Darcy stepped out into the hall, he had vanished.

She sighed. She went back to her bedroom and grabbed the fire poker from the fireplace and made her way back down to the foyer.

It was time to face off with the queen bitch of the house.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 **I do not own Crimson Peak in any way.**

* * *

Darcy entered the living room for the second time that day, despite Thomas' warning. She held the fire poker in one hand and the salt dispenser in the other.

Lucille, like always, was sitting at the piano, her fingers dancing across the keys. "You're either very brave or very stupid to not heed my brother's warning," she said, not turning to face Darcy, "You must be Thomas' darling Darcy".

Darcy didn't know how the ghosts knew her name and at this point, she didn't care. "You must be the queen of the castle, Lucille," Darcy said.

Lucille chuckled and said, "Someone has been doing her research". Lucille suddenly stood up, knocking the piano bench to the ground.

Darcy quickly made a ring of salt around her.

"You are just like _her_. It's no wonder Thomas likes you," Lucille said. Lucille stepped closer to Darcy, but found herself unable to. "What is this? Witchcraft?" Lucille asked.

"It's called salt, bitch," Darcy said smirking, "It's the same thing I'm going to spread on your bones before I burn them. You'll be leaving this house whether you like it or not".

"THIS IS MY HOUSE! YOU CANNOT TAKE IT FROM ME!" Lucille shrieked.

A gust of wind blew back some of the salt, breaking the circle.

Lucille had murder in her eyes.

Darcy lashed out at Lucille with the iron poker.

Lucille cried out in pain and disappeared, giving Darcy enough time to sprint into the foyer. She ran into someone. "Thomas! I'm so sorry! I should've listened to you!" she babbled.

"Thomas?" a voice asked, "I've been told that I look like one of my ancestors, but no one's called me Thomas before".

She stepped back and looked up.

A man stood in front of her. He looked like Thomas, only his hair was dirty blonde.

The two heard another shriek.

"Run!" Darcy told the handsome stranger.

They bolted for the front door as they heard a male voice yelling Lucille's name.

The two made it the clay mining machine and collapsed.

"Do you want to explain what happened back there?" the man asked her.

"I may have pissed off the queen ghost of the mansion. Wouldn't be the first time," Darcy told him, "So who are you?"

"I'm actually the current owner of this rotting thing. The name's Benedict McMichael," he said, "But you can just call me Ben".

"So why claim it now? After all these years?" she asked.

"My parents just died and this thing just keeps getting passed down. I'm surprised it's still standing," he said.

"Wait…did you say McMichael?" Darcy asked.

"Yeah," he said.

"But Allerdale Hall was in the possession of the Sharpe's. After Thomas and Lucille's death, Edith had no claim to it anymore. Even if it was owned by her late husband," Darcy said.

"That's true, but my ancestor isn't Alan McMichael, despite my last name. My ancestor is Thomas Sharpe. Edith's first child wasn't by her current husband. She was pregnant with Thomas' child when she left Crimson Peak," Ben told her, "By some miracle, the baby survived the poison. Which is how I'm sitting next to you today".

Darcy was speechless.

Edith's book had never mentioned her being pregnant with Thomas' child.

"And you thought the incest thing was a big twist," Ben said.

After a moment, Darcy said, "You wouldn't happen to know where the Sharpe's bones are buried, would you?"

"In the Sharpe crypt in the old cemetery, why?" Ben asked.

"Because I think I just thought of a way to release Thomas and Lucille and take this thing off your hands," Darcy said, "Are you completely opposed to defacing your ancestor's graves?"

* * *

 **And you thought Del Toro's twist was good! When I saw the film, I thought "But what if...?" I also had to give a little nod to Benedict Cumberbatch, since he was going to originally be our Thomas Sharpe. It would have been interesting if he'd stayed on.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 **I do not own Crimson Peak in any way.**

 **A/N - Final chapter! Thank you so much for following this story! If you want more, be sure to follow and favorite me and stay tuned for more Crimson Peak one-shots/fics.**

* * *

"You could've helped", Ben said as he set Lucille's coffin down on the floor of the foyer.

"I'm delicate. I would have hurt myself", Darcy told him.

"Likely story", he said.

"Enough complaining", Darcy said, "Help me open them".

Ben helped her push the tops off the coffins.

"Coffins nowadays are much easier to get into", Darcy said.

"You sound like you speak from experience", Ben told her.

"The less you know, the better", she said.

"What do you think you're doing?" Lucille spat as Darcy spread salt all over her bones.

"Sending you to hell, bitch", Darcy said lighting a match.

Thomas appeared a Darcy's side.

Ben was shocked at seeing his ancestor standing so close to him.

"Thomas! Thomas, please!" Lucille pleaded with her brother.

"No Lucille. It's over", Thomas told her, "You deserve what you're getting".

Darcy dropped the match onto the clothes that still covered Lucille's bones and watched them go up in flames.

Lucille started shrieking as she caught on fire. Lucille's ghost faded away as the embers slowly died.

Thomas stared at the place where his sister had been standing just a few seconds ago.

They had never been apart in life and now they would spend eternity apart.

"Before you…can I have some time alone?" Thomas asked Darcy.

"Yeah, I'll go get my stuff", Darcy said, leaving Ben and Thomas alone.

"When it's all over, take care of her will you?" Thomas asked Ben.

"I will. If she'll have me", Ben told him.

"What is your name, young man?" Thomas asked.

"My name is Ben McMichael", Ben said.

"McMichael? You're a descendant of Edith?" Thomas asked.

"Edith and you", Ben told him.

"Me?" Thomas asked, "How is that possible?"

Ben chuckled and said, "I believe there was a night in the post office depot?"

"Edith conceived that night?" Thomas asked.

"A boy, named Carter McMichael. Alan knew the child was yours, but he looked so much like Edith, most people assumed it was Alan's. By some miracle, the baby survived the poison", Ben told him.

A few moments later, Darcy came down the stairs with her stuff.

It was spooky how similar the two men looked, almost like doppelgangers.

"What were you two talking about?" Darcy asked.

"Men stuff", Ben said, covering for Thomas.

"Are you ready?" she asked Thomas.

"Death didn't hurt. I imagined this won't either", Thomas told her.

She handed her stuff to Ben and hugged Thomas. "Thanks for keeping me company and protecting me. Also, thank you for being my friend", she told him.

"I'm ready to see Edith again", Thomas said.

Darcy stepped back and spread the salt on Thomas' bones. She lit the match and dropped it onto the bones.

Unlike with Lucille, a pillar of white light appeared in the foyer.

A figure appeared in the pillar and stepped out.

"Edith?" Thomas asked.

She stepped closer to the group. "Hello again Thomas", she said smiling at him.

"Oh, my love", Thomas said cupping her face in his hands, "I've missed you".

"I've been waiting for this day forever", Edith told him. Edith turned to Ben and Darcy. "I want to thank you Darcy for helping Thomas to move on", she said, "And Ben, your parents would be proud of you".

"I have so many questions I wish I could ask you", Darcy told her.

Edith giggled and said, "Start a list and hold onto it. When you cross over, I will answer every single one".

Darcy blushed and nodded.

"Ready to go, Thomas?" Edith asked him.

He put his hand in hers and said, "Absolutely darling".

Together the two entered the pillar of light and disappeared.

After a few moments, Ben turned to Darcy and said, "So what was your brilliant plan to rid me of this place?"

She took his hand and led him out of the house. She lit another match and threw it inside the foyer.

The two sat on the hill and watched the house be engulfed in flames.

Soon, Crimson Peak was no more.


End file.
